"It is sad and unfortunate that many have commented on these young men and women without knowing all the facts," Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli said.

The suspects - Tesfaye Cooper, Jordan Hill, Tanishia Covington and Brittany Covington - appeared in court Friday to formally hear the grand jury's indictment against them. They are charged in the kidnapping of an 18-year-old suburban boy who has schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder. Some of the alleged hate crime and battery was streamed live on Facebook.

Prosecutors allege the victim was to have a sleepover with Hill on New Year's Eve, but things deteriorated over the next three days until the victim was found injured walking around on Chicago's West Side